Hunters & Collectors

Here's the post I intended to publish Tuesday 22 February, before we were side-swiped by the earthquake.  It seems beyond shallow after such enormous loss in our city, and I have toyed with the idea of deleting it altogether.  But today, I feel shallow has it place.
  
Certain songs are as close as you can get to time-travel.  If you are an Australian or New Zealander of a certain age, chances are, 'Throw your arms around me' by Hunters and Collectors might be one of them.

I saw them play in Sydney in '87, and again at the University of Canterbury's Orientation Week ('88 or '89 maybe).  The song was never a commercial hit but it is regarded as a classic down-under.  It has been covered by Pearl Jam, our own Neil Finn, and numerous garage guitar bands in Australasia.

I used to think only an Aussie guy would write a love-song about a one-night stand. All I know is that when I first heard it, I only heard the love bit.  I guess that says something about me.

It's one of the unifying songs for forty-something antipodeans, where-ever they find themselves in the world: 'Throw your arms around me' is a call to anthem.  And I guess that begs further analysis, but far be it from me to ruin a good thing.

Early Hunters & Collectors was a little grunge-y; this was their ballad.  But the version I've chosen here is laid-back live in Sydney, with lead singer and song writer Mark Seymour on acoustic guitar.  It's not the best clip in terms of the audio or the styling, and I use that word very loosely (it is pretty old now ), but it's got the feeling.

If you haven't heard it before, give it a chance. Besides, I especially like the end, where band-member Barry wants to take a photo of the audience before the encore.